The 2011 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 47th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information
covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The "Digest" includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the "Digest," material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to data on educational attainment,
finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. Although the "Digest" contains important information on federal education
funding, more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices. The "Digest" contains seven chapters: All Levels of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Postsecondary
Education, Federal Programs for Education and Related Activities, Outcomes of Education, International Comparisons of Education, and Libraries and Adult Education. Preceding these chapters is an Introduction that provides a brief overview of current trends in American education, which
supplements the tabular materials in chapters 1 through 7. The "Digest" concludes with three appendices. The first appendix, Guide to Sources, provides a brief synopsis of the surveys used to generate the "Digest" tables; the second, Definitions, is included to help readers understand terms used in the "Digest"; and the third, Index of Table Numbers, allows readers to quickly locate tables on specific topics. (Contains 29 figures and 450 tables.) [For Appendices, see ED544581. For "Digest of Education Statistics, 2010. NCES 2011-015," see ED518987.]